Angular rub rails for trailers
A side rail assembly for a flatbed trailer extruded together as one integrated piece, including: a top extension face; a top chamfer; a side vertical face; a top horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the top chamfer, the top horizontal face to step down into the top extension face, wherein the top extension face extends to provide a surface to attach floor boards to the side rail assembly; an inner vertical face; a bottom extension face; an extended flange coupled to the bottom extension face; a bottom chamfer; and a bottom horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the bottom chamfer, the bottom horizontal face also couples to the bottom extension face, wherein the bottom horizontal face extends to the extended flange to provide an ability to use flat hooks for cargo securement.
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The present application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/140,989 (filed Apr. 28, 2023; entitled “Angular Rub Rails for Trailers”), which is a continuation application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/368,649 (filed Jul. 6, 2021; entitled “Angular Rub Rails for Trailers”). The disclosures of the above-referenced patent applications are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND Field of the InventionThe present disclosure relates generally to rub rails for trailers, and more specifically, to an angular rub rail and anchor points for the flatbed trailers.
BackgroundA flatbed trailer is designed to carry cargo tied down with various restraint devices including winches, ropes, straps, posts, chains, and other similar restraint devices. A strong support for connecting the restraint devices to the trailer is essential for safety of personnel and cargo. Commonly these devices are attached to the gaps between the side rail of a trailer and its rub rail. The side rail of a trailer is used to stabilize the floor assembly of a trailer, while the rub rail is designed to withstand side impacts from outside objects. Rub rail wear and tear is a common worry for cargo shippers. Denting and tearing of the rub rail are common sources of wear on flatbeds.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure describes an angular rub rail and anchor points for the flatbed trailers.
In one implementation, a side rail assembly for a flatbed trailer extruded together as one integrated piece is disclosed. The side rail assembly includes: a top extension face; a top chamfer; a side vertical face; a top horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the top chamfer, the top horizontal face to step down into the top extension face, wherein the top extension face extends to provide a surface to attach floor boards to the side rail assembly; an inner vertical face; a bottom extension face; an extended flange coupled to the bottom extension face; a bottom chamfer; and a bottom horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the bottom chamfer, the bottom horizontal face also couples to the bottom extension face, wherein the bottom horizontal face extends to the extended flange to provide an ability to use flat hooks for cargo securement.
Other features and advantages of the present disclosure should be apparent from the present description which illustrates, by way of example, aspects of the present disclosure.
The details of the present disclosure, both as to its structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the appended drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:
A flatbed trailer includes two main beams which extend from the front to the rear of the trailer body. Also, cross members are attached transverse to the two main beams at a spacing of 12″ to 16″ across the entirety of the trailer. Subsequently, the floor is laid on top of the cross members. The floor is often exposed to great forces of wear and tear during transport of cargo. To mitigate the stresses on the floor, side rails are attached to the outside edges of the cross members to provide stability to the cross members. The side rail is then protected with a railing called the “rub rail”, which provides a cushion against side impacts on the trailer. Further, gaps between the side rail and the rub rail are used as space for cargo attachment devices.
As described above, wear and tear of the rub rail is a common problem for cargo shippers. The denting and tearing of the rub rail are common sources of wear on the flatbed trailers. Therefore, to address the issues involved with denting and tearing of the rub rail, certain implementations of the present disclosure provide for an angular rub rail and anchor points for the flatbed trailers. Accordingly, after reading this description it will become apparent how to implement the present disclosure in various implementations and applications. Although various implementations of the present disclosure will be described herein, it is understood that these implementations are presented by way of example only, and not limitation. As such, this detailed description of various implementations should not be construed to limit the scope or breadth of the present disclosure.
In one implementation, the rub rail of a side rail assembly of the flatbed trailer includes an angled corner extrusion cut with regular holes for the purpose of attaching restraint devices. Providing the cuts located within the area of the angled extrusion provides superior strength from side impacts, which often causes the significant damage to the rails of the trailer.
The present disclosure describes the improved strength design of the rub rail using angular corners. This improved strength design provides higher area moment of inertia than commonly found in the industry. The improved strength design also increases the strength of the rub rail from impacts in multiple different directions. The present disclosure also describes several different ways of attaching the improved rub rail design to the side rail.
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In summary, the following implementations are disclosed. In one implementation, a side rail assembly for a flatbed trailer extruded together as one integrated piece is disclosed. The side rail assembly includes: a top extension face; a top chamfer; a side vertical face; a top horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the top chamfer, the top horizontal face to step down into the top extension face, wherein the top extension face extends to provide a surface to attach floor boards to the side rail assembly; an inner vertical face; a bottom extension face; an extended flange coupled to the bottom extension face; a bottom chamfer; and a bottom horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the bottom chamfer, the bottom horizontal face also couples to the bottom extension face, wherein the bottom horizontal face extends to the extended flange to provide an ability to use flat hooks for cargo securement.
In one implementation, the top extension face includes a top hook for attaching cargo securement devices to the side rail assembly. In one implementation, the side rail assembly further includes a notch in the top extension face to provide a mark for the location of the fasteners 1038 used to attach the floor boards 1036 to the side rail assembly. In one implementation, the bottom extension face includes two hooks for attaching cargo securement devices to the side rail assembly. In one implementation, the side rail assembly further includes a plurality of slot holes cut in the top horizontal face and the bottom horizontal face. In one implementation, the plurality of slot holes includes top slot holes and bottom slot holes. In one implementation, the top slot holes are substantially aligned with the bottom slot holes. In one implementation, the side rail assembly is formed with extruded aluminum.
The above description of the disclosed implementations is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention as described in the specification presented above. Various modifications to these implementations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the techniques are not limited to the specific examples described above. Thus, it is to be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent a presently possible implementation of the disclosure and are therefore representative of the subject matter that is broadly contemplated by the present disclosure. It is further understood that the scope of the present disclosure fully encompasses other implementations that may become obvious to those skilled in the art and that the scope of the present disclosure is accordingly limited by nothing other than the appended claims.
Claims
1. A side rail assembly for a flatbed trailer extruded together as one integrated piece, the side rail assembly comprising:
- a top extension face; a top chamfer;
- a side vertical face;
- a top horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the top chamfer, the top horizontal face to step down into the top extension face, wherein the top extension face extends to provide a surface to attach floor boards to the side rail assembly;
- an inner vertical face; a bottom extension face;
- an extended flange coupled to the bottom extension face;
- a bottom chamfer; and
- a bottom horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the bottom chamfer, the bottom horizontal face also couples to the bottom extension face,
- wherein the bottom horizontal face extends to the extended flange to provide an ability to use flat hooks for cargo securement.
2. The side rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the top extension face includes a top hook for attaching cargo securement devices to the side rail assembly.
3. The side rail assembly of claim 1, further comprising a notch in the top extension face to provide a mark for a location of one or more fasteners used to attach the floor boards to the side rail assembly.
4. The side rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom extension face includes two hooks for attaching cargo securement devices to the side rail assembly.
5. The side rail assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of slot holes cut in the top horizontal face and the bottom horizontal face.
6. The side rail assembly of claim 5, wherein the plurality of slot holes includes top slot holes and bottom slot holes.
7. The side rail assembly of claim 6, wherein the top slot holes are substantially aligned with the bottom slot holes.
8. The side rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the side rail assembly is formed with extruded aluminum.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jun 21, 2023
Date of Patent: Apr 21, 2026
Patent Publication Number: 20230331324
Assignee: HYUNDAI TRANSLEAD (San Diego, CA)
Inventors: Laura Homec (San Diego, CA), Loc Quoc Bui (San Diego, CA), Weilun Chang (San Diego, CA), Jimmy Minh Nguyen (San Diego, CA)
Primary Examiner: Gregory A Blankenship
Application Number: 18/212,655
International Classification: B62D 25/20 (20060101); B62D 21/20 (20060101); B62D 63/08 (20060101);